~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=
/=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=/
%/=~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=/%
%%/=~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~=/%%
§%%/=~¨¨¨¨ #¨¨¨========¨¨¨# ¨¨¨¨~=/%%§
#§%%/=~¨¨¨ ####¨== FERMI'S PARADOX ==¨#### ¨¨¨~=/%%§#
##§%%/=~¨¨ #¨¨¨========¨¨¨# ¨¨~=/%%§##
###§%%/=~¨ ¨~=/%%§###
##§%%/=~¨¨ ON EARTH (THE PLANET WHERE I LIVE) A ¨¨~=/%%§##
#§%%/=~¨¨¨ LOT OF US HAVE ANTENNAS ON OUR HOUSES ¨¨¨~=/%%§#
§%%/=~¨¨¨¨ OR BALCONIES, WE HAVE BUILT LARGE ¨¨¨¨~=/%%§
%%/=~¨¨¨¨¨ ANTENNAS FOR LARGER BANDWITH, WE HAVE ¨¨¨¨¨~=/%%
%/=~¨¨¨¨¨¨ BUILD SPECIALIZED ANTENNAES FOR ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=/%
/=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ SPECIFIC WAVELENGTHS (AND SENT THEM ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=/
=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ INTO ORBIT), WE'VE BUILT LARGE AS FUCK ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ANTENNA ARRAYS ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ WE'VE VIRTUALLY BUILT AN ANTENNA WITH A ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ DISH AS LARGE AS EARTH. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT OUR POSITION IN THE ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ SOLAR SYSTEM, OUR SOLAR SYSTEMS ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ PLACEMENT IN THE GALAXY, AND OUR ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ GALAXYS PLACEMENT IN THE LOCAL CLUSTER, ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=
/=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ AND =OUR= LOCAL CLUSTERS PLACE IN THE ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=/
%/=~¨¨¨¨¨¨ GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=/%
%%/=~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~=/%%
§%%/=~¨¨¨¨ AND WE'RE MOVING AROUND THE SUN AT ¨¨¨¨~=/%%§
#§%%/=~¨¨¨ VELOCITY AND THE SUNS MOVING AROUND THE ¨¨¨~=/%%§#
##§%%/=~¨¨ CENTER OF THE GALAXY AT VELOCITY AND ¨¨~=/%%§##
###§%%/=~¨ THE GALAXY IS MOVING TOWARD ANDROMEDA ¨~=/%%§###
##§%%/=~¨¨ AND WE'RE BOTH MOVING ANTICLOCKWISE ¨¨~=/%%§##
#§%%/=~¨¨¨ AROUND THE GALAXY. AND WE AS A SPECIES ¨¨¨~=/%%§#
§%%/=~¨¨¨¨ HAVE LEARNED TO TAKE ALL THAT IN ACCOUNT ¨¨¨¨~=/%%§
%%/=~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~=/%%
%/=~¨¨¨¨¨¨ AND DESPITE ALL THIS, DESPITE ALL OUR ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=/%
/=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ (CLICHE) BEAMING OF FUCKING STELLAR ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=/
=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ RADIO PROGRAMMES OUT IN FUCKING SPACE ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT (LIGHT IS OUR ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ MEDIUM! GOODSPEED YOU, BLACK EMPEROR!), ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ DESPITE GHOSTS HELPING AND THE ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS LOWPASS ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ FILTERING, DESPITE OUR VERY OBVIOUS ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ BEAMING OF ALL OUR SECRETS IN EVERY ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ DIRECTION KNOWN TO US, ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=
/=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ NO ¨ ONE ¨ HAS ¨ ANSWERED ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=/
%/=~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=/%
%%/=~¨¨¨¨¨ #¨¨¨========¨¨¨# ¨¨¨¨¨~=/%%
§%%/=~¨¨¨¨ ####¨== FERMI'S PARADOX ==¨#### ¨¨¨¨~=/%%§
#§%%/=~¨¨¨ #¨¨¨========¨¨¨# ¨¨¨~=/%%§#
##§%%/=~¨¨ ¨¨~=/%%§##
###§%%/=~¨ SO WHY IS THAT? ¨~=/%%§###
##§%%/=~¨¨ ¨¨~=/%%§##
#§%%/=~¨¨¨ MOST OPPONENTS TO INTELLIGENT LIFE IN ¨¨¨~=/%%§#
§%%/=~¨¨¨¨ THE UNIVERSE SAY IT'S BECAUSE YOU NEED ¨¨¨¨~=/%%§
%%/=~¨¨¨¨¨ A CLASS ONE-OR-THE-OTHER STAR AND THE ¨¨¨¨¨~=/%%
%/=~¨¨¨¨¨¨ PLANET NEEDS TO BE AT A SEE-AND-SO ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=/%
/=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ DISTANCE AWAY FROM THE STAR (LIKE THERE ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=/
=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ HAS TO BE A PLANET!) ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ BUT REALLY ISN'T THAT KEEPING THE ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ DEFINITION OF LIFE REALLY LAX? ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ I THINK EVERYONE AGREES THAT WE HAVE NO ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ IDEA WHAT WE'RE DOING (AND IT PROBABLY ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ SHOWS) ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~
=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=
/=~¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ #¨¨¨========¨¨¨# ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨~=/
%/=~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ####¨== FERMI'S PARADOX ==¨#### ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=/%
%%/=~¨¨¨¨¨ #¨¨¨========¨¨¨# ¨¨¨¨¨~=/%%
§%%/=~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~=/%%§
#§%%/=~¨¨¨ I'M GONNA GO SMOKE MY THIRD CIGARETTE ¨¨¨~=/%%§#
##§%%/=~¨¨ THIS YEAR AND TRY TO SNATCH SOME BEERS ¨¨~=/%%§##
###§%%/=~¨ FROM THE LOCAL BEER THING ¨~=/%%§###
##§%%/=~¨¨ ¨¨~=/%%§##
#§%%/=~¨¨¨ ¨¨¨~=/%%§#
§%%/=~¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨~=/%%§
%%/=~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~=/%%
%/=~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~=/%